The use of thick film conductors in hybrid microelectronic components is well known in the electronic field. Such materials are usually comprised of a dispersion of finely divided particles of a noble metal, noble metal alloy or mixtures thereof and a minor amount of inorganic binder, both dispersed in an organic medium to form a pastelike product. Such pastes are usually applied to an inert substrate such as Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 by screen printing to form a patterned layer. The patterned thick film conductor layer is then fired to volatilize the organic medium and sinter the inorganic binder, which is usually glass or a glass-forming material. In addition to the electrical conductivity properties which the fired layer must possess, it is essential that it adhere firmly to the substrate on which it is printed and that the layer be capable of accepting solder. Solderability is, of course, essential because of the necessity of connecting the conductive pattern with other components of the electronic system in which it is used, e.g., resistor and capacitor networks, resistors, trim potentiometers, chip resistors, chip capacitors, chip carriers and the like.
Though extensive research has been directed to the problem of thick film conductor adhesion and solderability, the increasingly more stringent technical demands on such conductor systems require that still further improvements be made.